Shoe and fastening device therefor.



Patented Nov. 7, I899.

W. H. GATES.

SHOE AND FASTENING DEVICE THEREFOR.

(Application filed Feb. 18, 1898. Renewed Apr. 7, 1899.)

No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

WILLIAM H. GATES, or BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR TO THE GATES LACINGHOOK COMPANY, or WILMINGTON, DELAWARE.

SHOE AND FASTENING DEVICE THEREFOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 636,515, dated November7, 1899.

Application filed February 18, 1898. Renewed April 7, 1899. Serial No.712,157. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. GATES, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of the city of Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improvement in Shoes and FasteningDevices Therefor, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has for its object to produce an improved lacing-border,with a view especially to improve laced boots and shoes; and to this endit consists of a novel and improved form of lacing-hook or shieldedfastener, a new and useful lacing border or edge, and

I 5 also in the combination of these with a boot or shoe.

The lacing-hook or shielded fastener in which certain features of myinvention are embodied consists of a self-supporting base arranged tostand practically as a tripod upon its three limbs, two of which limbsare represented by an inclined oblong plate, and the third, which isintegral therewith, extends centrallyforward and downward as a flatwell- 2 5 defined limb and terminates in a scrolled-up foot orslotted-tube form of a hook. This form of hook affords the importantadvantage that when the lacing-cord is entered therein no point of hookis then exposed upon which clothing or other textures can be caught, andthe tripod-like base itself, as hereinafter shown, presents notableadvantages in connection with the lacing-border.

The preparation of the border of the boot 5 or shoe is of the simplestcharacter. At the usual distance back from its beaded edge a row ofnarrow slots are punched, and a line of stitching joins the upper to thelining immediately in front of the slots. The hooks being then insertedthrough the slots from between the upper and the lining and the upperbeing finished in due process, there is formed a practically continuousridge or terrace-like projection of the lacing-border along the cen- 5tral line of elevation of the fasteners. In the ordinary shoe-lacingstud the hook proper is considerably above the plane of attachment ofthe stud to the upper, and in consequence it tends to tilt when thelacing-cord is drawn 5o tight and to produce other disturbing effects.With my form of fastener, however, in which thereto.

the hook or part which engages with the lacing-cord is depressed andsituated practically in the plane of the attachment of the fastener tothe upper, the force of the lacingcord does not tend to tilt thefastener, but draws practically in the plane of its attachment to theshoe. The hook, while having a perfectly open approach, so that thelacingcord may easily enter, is yet so constructed that when once thecord is in place no other texture or material can be caught thereon. Afurther consideration in favor of my invention is that these simpleshielded hooks are a completed mechanism and require no powermachine toset them and only the simplest form of gravity-machine to feed themrapidly in place.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated the best form in which Inow contemplate embodying my invention, although I wish it understoodthat it may be changed in many of its details of construction Withoutdeparting from the principle of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a front view of part of a shoe with myinvention applied Fig. 2 is an enlarged cross-section taken on line 2 2,Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the fasteners detached.Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4 4, Fig. 3.

The fastener A, which is preferably made from sheet metal, consists ofan integral tripod-like article which comprises three essential partstheoblong plates 1), the advance limb part or member a, and the slottedtube 00 The oblong plate 1) stands inclined upward and forward from itsrear edge or side, upon which it rests as representing the two rearlimbs of the tripod, and its upper edge 0 constitutes the line ofelevation b of the terrace or ridge of the lacing-border. The advancelimb or parta is bent forward and downward to stand at the desired anglewith the plate I), which is the open angle of the tripod. 5 The slottedtube a is the scrolled-up foot of the exposed limb a of the tripod, andthe slot 0. thereinto is preferably of a size a little less than thediameter of the lacing-cord under ordinary circumstances, so that thecord has to be slightly flattened as it is crowded thereinto, and whenit has once entered the shielded hook and resumed its normal shape itwill fill practically the entire space inclosed by the hook and willclose the opening a so that it will be difficult or impossible for thecord to accidentally escape from the hook or for the hook to catch uponanything, such as the clothing of the wearer. The free edge of the hookproper is relatively long and substantially straight from end to end andapproaches so close to the face of the part a as to slightly impede thefree passage of the cord into and out of the shielded hook. The openinga into the slotted tube is relatively long and is straight from end toend. I provide the lateral extremes or ends proper of the slotted tubeor shielded hook with outwardly-curved flanges c to insure smoothrounded bearings for the lacing-cord and also by strengthening the hookitself to enable the use of quite thin and inexpensive material in themanufacture, which is still further economized by forming them of softsheetsteel and then tempering them, like steel pens, in half-millionlots at a time. I preferably cover the fastener A with japan; but inorder to still further utilize the outwardly-turned flanges c of thecylindrical ends of the slotted tube a and to secure a smoother and moredurable finish around the latter I prefer to fill out said flanges withcelluloid or other plastic material d, so that the lacing-cord Z willnot be cut or seriously worn thereby as it is brought into and out ofengagement with the hooks.

The plates 1) of the fastener being relatively long distributesthelacing force evenly to the whole border, which is thereby free from10- cal stretching, and the usual reinforcement of the border isdispensed with. The exposed limb or part a may be slightly swelled orrounded out laterally, which will present an ornamental appearance onthe shoe and 0011- stitute also the slight shoulders e, which beingdrawn to place through the slot 9 somewhat tightly will not slip back byaccident.

In forming a lacing-border, as for a shoe, as represented in Figs. 1 and2, I bead the upper at front and top, seam up the back, punch the slots,and then, after making the lining to correspond, attach simply the twobacks together. I then run the line of stitching 0 through the upper andlining just in front of each row of slots and turning the upper insideout hook the slotted tubes only into the slots g. Righting the upper, Istitch the beaded edges, attach the vamp, and then with a loop of linenthread, or preferably of fine wire mounted like a button -hook loop, Ibring each hook into its true position, with the stayshoulders e of thepart or limb a through the slots g and the plates Z) up against the seam0, and thereby form the terrace of the border, which is continuous,since the plates 1) of the fasteners approach each other closely,leaving only sufficient space between them topre- Vent them frominterfering with one another, and when such lacing-borders are broughttogether edge to edge there is formed a depression or recess or channela between the opposite seams 0, in which depression are situated thehooks or exposed parts of the fasteners, which are thereby in a largemeasure shielded and protected.

I prefer a lacing Z round in cross-section and of small size, as withfasteners of the kind I have invented I find I can use a much finerlacing than is required when the ordinary lacing-hooks are used.

Vhile my invention is primarily intended for use in laced boots andshoes, still it may be applied to gloves or to other articles where alacing-cord and fasteners which are engaged thereby are employed tounite two parts.

I believe myself to be the first to have invented a lacing-hook orfastener having a part by which it is attached to an article elevatedrelative to the hook portion proper, which being pocketed in alacing-border forms in the latter a terrace-like elevation a shortdistance back from the edge and in consequence a depression or recess inwhich the hooks or exposed parts of the fasteners are situated when twosuch borders are brought together edge to edge. Ialso believe myself tobe the first to have invented a lacing-hook which comprises a slottedtube or cylinder the slot or opening into whichis of a size to compressthe lacing-cord as itis forced thereinto, so that as the cordpractically fills the interior of the said tube or cylinder itis held inplace therein and also closes the slot or opening thereof, so that thehook cannot catch upon clothing or other articles.

Having described my invention and the best way now known to me ofcarrying the same into effect, what I claim as new, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is

1. A lacing-hook or fastener formed essentially of two parts or memberswhich are inclined relative to each other, whereby when the fastenerrests upon the edges of such parts or members its central portion iselevated, and a hook integral with and carried by one of the said partsat its lower edge, substantially as set forth.

2. A lacing-hook comprising an upward and forward inclining plate and adownward and forward inclined limb or part, these together constitutinga tripod-like support, and a hook proper carried by the end of the saidlimb, substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.

3. A fastener for shoes and the like comprising a relatively long baseI), and a hook proper carried by a centrally-arranged downward andforward inclined flange or limb of the said base, substantially as andfor the purposes hereinbefore set forth.

4. A fastener for shoes and the like, comprising a means for attachingthe same, a hook proper in the form of a slotted tube or cylinder havingat its cylindrical ends the outwardly-curved flanges c, and a coveringfor the cylinder, the said flanges assisting in holding such covering inplace and also serving to strengthen the hook and to form roundedbearings at the ends thereof, substantially as and for the purposeshereinbefore set forth.

5. A lacing-hook or fastener for shoes and the like, comprising a meansfor attaching it to an article, a limb or part a, and a hook proper ofslotted tubular form'carried by the said part a, the edge of the hookproper being relatively long and substantially straight from end to end,and approaching close to the face of the part a, whereby the slot oropening into the hook is straight and narrow, and whereby the entranceof the cord into the hook, and its escape therefrom is slightly impeded,substantially as set forth.

6. A lacing-border consisting of two pieces of material secured togethernear their edge by a seam, there being openings through one piece ofmaterial near the seam, and fasteners having their hooks extendingthrough the said openings, and attaching-plates situated between thesaid pieces of material the said plates being elevated along their outeredge, whereby when in place between said pieces of material they form aridge or terrace substantially parallel with the edge of the border,substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.

7. The combination with the outer material 'm, and the lining at, thesetwo being united by a seam 0, and the outer material being provided witha series of slots or openings g, of the fasteners comprising therelatively long plates b bearing, at their outer edges, against the saidseam on its inner side and operating to form a terrace of the borderalong that line and the hooks proper with their shanks extending throughsaid slots or openings, and the lacing-cord Z, substantially as and forthe purposes hereinbefore set forth.

8. A laced shoe provided on either side of the lacing-openings with aseries of lacinghooks comprising attaching means, and the exposed hookswith which the cord engages, the said attaching means being confinedwithin the material of the upper, and being elevated relative to thehooks proper, whereby when the shoe is laced the hooks are situated in achannel or recess bounded by raised portions of the lacing-borders,formed by the attaching means of the fasteners, substantially as and forthe purposes hereinbefore set forth.

9. Alacing-hook comprising an upward and forward inclined plate, I), adownward and forward inclined limb or part at, these togetherconstituting a tripod-like support, and the part ct'being expandedimmediately forward of its junction with the plate I) to constitute theshoulders e, and a hook proper carried by the end of the said part a,substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 15th day ofFebruary, 1898.

WM. H. GATES.

Witnesses:

GEO. E. TAYLOR, EDGAR F. DOBSON.

